The Indianapolis Colts still very much have their focus on the 2024 season. With the team above .500 at 4-3 following their Week 7 win over the Miami Dolphins.
But it's always a good time to check out how mock drafts are shaping out this time of year. A to Z Sports' latest mock draft is out, myself and five other NFL Draft analysts took turns making selections for all 32 teams.
The Colts landed one of the top defensive players expected to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft class.
Colts land Georgia safety Malaki Starks
"The Colts had a few different directions they could go with this pick, but with starting safety Julian Blackmon set to become a free agent after the season this move seemed like their most likely path. Malaki Starks is the clear top safety in this draft class and has the flexibility to play either free or strong safety at the pro level"
- Colts land Starks with the 13th pick in latest A to Z Sports mock draft
The Colts had the 13th overall pick for this mock draft, which used Vegas Super Bowl odds to form the order. There were multiple positions to consider for the Colts' selection; along with safety, I considered corner, tight end, and defensive line. Due to how the board fell, though, the best player available at a position of need was Georiga safety Malaki Starks. Starks is currently playing in his third collegiate season. He's played in all seven of the Georgia Bulldogs games this season. He's been targeted 21 times and allowed 14 receptions for 128 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. Over the last three seasons, he has been targeted 95 times, allowing 54 receptions for 638 yards and four touchdowns.
He has mostly lined up as a free safety this season but has significant expense lining up in the box as well as a slot corner. In the NFL, he has the positional flexibility to play both free safety and strong safety, but on the Colts, he would most likely slide into the starting free safety spot that would be opened up if veteran Julian Blackmon walks in free agency in the offseason. Starks is currently projected to hear his name in the top 15 and even potentially the top 10 of the 2025 NFL Draft. So, if the Colts were able to land him, I'd say they'd feel very fortunate to land such a talent.
